Shakalaka Boom Boom (2007)

A tale of two different musicians, dramatically different but united in their passion for music, set against the backdrop of the international music industry.

Director:

Suneel Darshan

Writers:

Suneel Darshan (story), Anurag Kashyap (dialogue)

Stars:

Bobby Deol, Upen Patel, Celina Jaitly

Cast

Credited cast:
Bobby Deol	...	A.J.
Upen Patel	...	Reggi
Celina Jaitly	...	Sheena (as Celina Jaitley)
Kangana Ranaut	...	Ruhi
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Asrani	...	Yogra
Anupam Kher	...	Reggie's father
Govind Namdeo	...	Guru
Seema Rahmani
Dalip Tahil
Vivek Vaswani

Storyline

If the music industry is considered ruthless, manipulative and cutthroat, these terms certainly do not apply to A.J., the most popular singer/composer New York has ever seen. However, if prodigious talent, passion, and attitude are considered synonymous with the music industry, then Reggi fits the bill. Young and hugely talented, he hungers and craves for A.J.'s spot at the top. Into these lives enters two women: the aspiring singer Ruhi and the ambitious P.R. professional Sheena. Ruhi, while she has much professional respect for A.J., she has been wooed and won over by Reggi. Sheena, on the other hand, holds a grudge against Reggi because, while she did a lot for him as a PR, he had rejected her in a personal relationship. As A.J. and Reggi face off against each in a do or die battle, envy and betrayal rear their ugly heads, and talent struggles to survive the onslaught of a carefully orchestrated smear campaign.

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Plot Keywords:

singer | sexual attraction | bare chested male | love triangle | jealousy | 

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Taglines:

Four people whose lives and destinies are ruled by music... Music will connect them... Music will destroy them...

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

6 April 2007 (India)

Filming Locations:

Johannesburg, South Africa

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shree Krishna International

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Upen Patel and Kangana's voice's are dubbed by a dubbing artiste in this film.

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Soundtracks

Dil Lagayenge
(Remix)
Written by Sameer
Composed by Himesh Reshammiya
Performed by Himesh Reshammiya
Courtesy of Super Cassettes Industries Limited (T-Series)

User Reviews

Shakalaka Boom Boom? More Like Shakalaka Tap Tap

Now, I like the Bollywood films and I'm very glad they have recently gained success in the UK. However, Suneel Darshan's latest effort is a deeply flawed film from start to finish.

The idea of a modern-Bollywood take on Amadeus was quite an exciting one, that is until the two supposed 'musicians' appear on the scene looking as if they have never touched a piece of manuscript in their lives. Upen Patel is a very good looking man, and the film plays to his narcissistic sensibilities, but he is never once believable as a modern Mozart. In terms of acting, all he can do is stand there and pout. His expressions, hair and clothes all look the same throughout, including the scene where he is supposedly 'dying', when in fact he appears to have nothing but a slight sniffle. Bobby Deol, playing the Salieri role, does his best to liven up what little wooden script there is but, alas, just comes across as a little bit angry when he is supposed to be fuming with jealousy.

Bollywood films are widely renowned for their stunning set-pieces and colour schemes, but Shaklaka looks like a drab BBC drama reproduction. In fact, the closest thing Shakalaka comes to is Hollyoaks, as it blatantly hides a really bad script behind beautiful people looking, well, beautiful. "He has yet to reach mediocrity" - the same could be said for the totally forgetful songs.

In short, Darshan's latest offering has no boom, bang, wallop or twang. Instead it merely plods along with its head held low hoping to catch your attention with a soft tap on the shoulder. And that is not good enough at all.